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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Rediscovering running through Nike+ running trophies

I ran in high school but wasn't much beyond a sprinter. I had childhood asthma and never developed endurance in running until later in life. And while I never got up to a marathon, about a year after I rediscovered running in 2005 following a hard breakup, I was up to running about 60 miles per week (96 km) with my longest run topping out around 9 miles.

I fell out of running when I moved to the Maldives, where I lived for two years on a small island you could walk around in about 15 minutes. I sporadically ran on a treadmill but it wasn't the same for me, and I fell out of running by 2008.

Over the last five years I've periodically run but never got back to the level I was starting to get proud of.

Enter: Nike+ and the iPod running combination. I had an old iPod Touch lying around that I used just when traveling so I could have a pocketable device I could use to check and send emails to friends while in WiFi zones on the road. I decided recently to give running another try, and since I'd always thought about the Nike+ running app since it came out, I finally gave in and bought a sensor to use with my iPod. Even though it doesn't have GPS mapping of runs (which would be great), the $25 I spent on the sensor and pouch (to make compatible with my Mizuno Ronin 3 running shoes) seemed a good price point to discover if I could get back into running shape.

I'm still struggling a bit with fatigue and knees aching, but I've found the Nike+ interface quite addictive and helpful in pushing myself to best my personal records. While I wish that Nike+ Fuel could be used to purchase Nike gear (they could pick any price point they wanted, like 250 - 750 Fuel points per dollar), I still think it is an interesting system to help motivate people.

Since I started running again with the Nike+ sensor on March 29, 2013, I've acquired about 10 trophies, but looking at the list of Nike+ Trophies (below), I can't help but want more!



Sunday, May 19, 2013

Jeremy Wade (River Monsters) spotted fishing for Tarpon & Snook off Sanibel Island, Florda

For those who follow the show River Monsters with Jeremy Wade, I just spoke with a lady who fished with him on Thursday, May 16, 2013 off Sanibel Island, Florida (near Fort Myers) for Tarpon and Snook. They baited using red shrimp thrown in the water. He wasn't filming at the time, so maybe he was prepping for a future show or maybe he was just enjoying himself.

While I don't like the portrayal of animals and fish as monsters, I do appreciate his efforts to discuss natural history of the fish he seeks, the exotic locales, and the fact that he releases the fish that he catches.

Happy fishing Mr. Wade!


Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Israeli planes bomb Damascus, Syria without reprisals


 As Israel has bombed two sites within Damascus, Syria (article here) I am surprised that Iran and Syria haven't responded with violence, leading me to the conclusion that Israel seems:

1. to be able to attack with impunity any country near them
2. to potentially be trying to draw Iran or Syria into a larger war so that they can bring American support
3. to isolate Gaza further from Hezbollah support in Syria and Lebanon

As the civil war in Syria has been raging for over a year now, the Israeli line that they are protecting themselves through preemptive attack rings hollow since not once has the instability within Syrian borders spilled over into Israel despite Israeli control of the Syrian Golan Heights.

Elsewhere, the "Arab Spring" seems to have stalled and become an Arab Autumn or Fall... as one regime after another seems to falter with misguided steps.